Pipe fittings, including hollow, tubular shaped pipe fittings having connector ends with either internal threads (commonly referred to as female pipe threads) or external threads (commonly referred to as male pipe threads) are exceedingly popular in liquid and gas piping systems. Typically, male pipe threads of a first pipe fitting are threaded into female pipe threads of a second pipe fitting to form a pipe joint.
The use of male and female pipe threads is also exceedingly popular where the pipes and pipe fittings are made from lightweight materials, such as plastics. In such pipes and pipe fittings, however, there is a problem with the use of the pipe fittings. This problem arises from the fact that pipe threads made from lightweight materials have a tendency to “cross thread.” That is, if the male pipe threads are not precisely aligned with the female pipe threads as the male pipe threads are initially threaded into the female pipe threads, the male pipe threads can easily become misaligned with the female pipe threads. Such cross-threading tends to ruin one or both sets of pipe threads and cannot seal the pipe joint.
In my previously filed patent application Ser. No. 10/189,702, I disclosed and claimed a pipe fitting having at least one female starter thread which is stronger than the material from which the pipe fitting has been manufactured. This invention is a major advancement in preventing cross-threading. However, there remains room for improvement. For example, in pipe fittings having tapered internal threads, it has been typical for the taper of both the starter threads and the softer, sealing threads of the pipe fitting to be of a single, constant angle of taper. However, when such a pipe fitting is mated with an externally threaded pipe of like taper, the starter threads provide interference simultaneously with the mating of the external threads with the sealing threads within the pipe fitting. The interference between the starter threads and the external threads often prevents the positive mating of the external threads with the sealing threads. This can result in leaking between the external threads and the sealing threads.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved pipe fitting which avoids the aforementioned problems in the prior art.